It’s been a big year for anime with shows like Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family. So if your friends and family are suddenly telling you that “Makima is best girl”, you might have a weeb on your hands.
Believe it or not, buying Christmas gifts for your anime-loving friends is easier than watching all of One Piece. This gift guide won’t help you become the Pirate King, but it will give you some ideas on what to buy the otaku in your life.
Let’s Deku the halls and get straight into it!
Anime DVDs and Blu-Ray
JB Hi-Fi has a massive collection of anime DVDs and Blu-Rays that are perfect if you’re wanting to get someone to watch a specific anime series. They have films by Studio Ghibli as well as box sets of Bleach, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. If you’re looking for a shorter series or single season of a show, they have those too!
If you can’t find what you’re looking for at JB Hi-Fi, Madman has an even larger collection of anime DVDs and Blu-Rays.
For AU $375 you can splurge and grab the complete collection of Dragon Ball Z. If you have a smaller budget, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is available for AU $15.98.
Manga and Art Books
If the otaku in your life prefers to read the manga before watching the anime or wants to dive deeper into their favourite anime universe, Madman has a large collection of manga, light novels and art books.
The first My Hero Academia manga box set (volumes 1-20) is currently AU $269.99, while most individual volumes are AU $14.99 each.
Subscription Services
If your otaku friend is the kind of person who prefers to watch or read what they want, when they want, a subscription service is the gift that keeps on giving without filling up their bookcase.
There are a few anime streaming sites and apps out there.
Netflix is the first that comes to mind, but it isn’t anime-only, and therefore has a small anime library in comparison to some of the other streaming services. Depending on your preferences, Netflix subscriptions range from AU $6.99 up to AU $22.99.
For anime fans looking to watch the most popular series available, Crunchyroll has the largest library of anime in Australia, with simulcasts for new series, meaning that you can watch the latest episodes just hours after they air in Japan.
There are two types of premium subscriptions available to viewers. Crunchyroll Fan is AU $10.99 a month, but you can only watch on one device at a time and there is no option for offline viewing. Crunchyroll Mega Fan is AU $13.99 a month but allows for up to four screens at once and has offline viewing, meaning you can download all that good anime to watch when you’re flying to Japan.
For those who already have Crunchyroll or are looking to watch some more niche titles, HIDIVE is perfect. It has a smaller library than Crunchyroll, but is also cheaper and has more indie titles to make up for it. At around AU $7.99 per month, HIDIVE is a better option when your budget is a little lower.
In terms of manga subscription services, there aren’t too many, but the available ones have enough manga to keep you reading for years.
Mangamo is a small manga subscription service that features lesser-known titles. For AU $7.99 a month, it’s a little on the expensive side, but good for a more niche manga audience.
If you’re looking for fan favourites such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Black Clover and Hunter x Hunter, Viz offers a large manga collection through the Shonen Jump app. There are over 15,000 chapters from a range of series. For AU $2.99 a month, it’s a bargain.
Merchandise
With anime’s increase in popularity comes an influx of anime goods ranging from figures to stationery to homewares. There are a variety of physical and online stores that stock these goods, but I’ve picked out the best of the best.
JB Hi-Fi has just released the cutest little officially licensed Studio Ghibli plush toys. You can now live out your dreams of snuggling Totoro in real life. The collection features characters from seven different Ghibli films including Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Prices range from AU $84.98 for the biggest, fluffiest Totoro down to AU $19.98 for a little Soot Sprite that you can keep on your bed without taking up too much space.
If plush toys are too cute, these Demon Slayer figures from Madman are perfect for anime lovers who would rather look at their figures instead of playing with them. The collection features Inosuke, Nezuko, Tanjiro and Zenitsu and for AU $59.99 each, they can be bought individually to match your budget.
Some of us just want to show off our love of anime in a more obvious way. If the weeb in your life needs some new t-shirts, look no further than UNIQLO’s collaboration collections. They currently have Spy x Family, One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen: Zero shirts on sale for AU $19.90. Your friends can look as cool as Luffy without having to eat a Devil Fruit.
Christmas is sorted! Easy as that — you didn’t even need to eat the finger of a demon or become the Hokage. Whether it’s anime, manga or merch on a big or small budget, your otaku friends and family will be grateful. Maybe they’ll even show you their favourite anime Christmas episode.
